It's Not Goodbye Yet: Rue's Journey
by J. K. Meowling
Summary: Rue's life before the Hunger Games is finally investigated. She and her five siblings live in the poorest parts of District 11, ad she is finally eligible for the reapings.
1. A Day in the Orchards

**AN: FINALLY! I got this up! It's been too long. For those of you coming back to see Rue, sorry. I saw a ton of very large factual errors in the original script, and it was irritating me. (I know, I know, the Marauders fic is all messed up too, you don't need to remind me.) But anyways, I reread Hunger Games, I checked the wiki, and I think I've finally got it all right. YAY! :D ALSO: I know this is desperate, but if you have any ideas for the Marauders or Lust fanfics, tell me, because I'm at a writer's block! :C Okay. Anyways, enjoy!**

I am always up before any of my siblings. I wake to see the sun rise over the endless orchards. Every morning we awake to the same thing: schooling until noon, whereupon we eat a meager lunch and spend the rest of the day in the orchards.

I can see the sun rising outside my window of our second-floor flat. It is growing warm. In history we learned that District 11 was built upon the remains of a place once known as Georgia. I pull on my slippers and dress quickly. I need to start breakfast so my mother can tend to the smallest children. I have five siblings: Declan, who is 10, Amanda, who is 8, Xaviar, who is 6, Basil, who is 4 and Gabe, who just turned 3.

I wake up Basil and Amanda. I can hear Declan waking up Xaviar, and mother tending to Gabe. I trudge into our tiny kitchenette and see what we could have for breakfast. I pull out some eggs, a frying pan and some oil, and light a burner.

"Can you get out the bread?" I ask Declan, as he walks in. He pulls out the loaf and butters it as I dump the scrambled eggs into a big dish. He drops the bread slices into the still-warm pan to toast. I pull out some glasses and plates and set the table. I also pull out a few mushed oranges that I snuck from the orchards and begin slicing them.

Mother walks into the kitchen holding Gabe in her arms, Xaviar, Basil and Amanda trailing behind her. I bring the orange slices to the pine-wood table and we sit down. I help Mother dish out the eggs and toast, and everyone gets an orange slice. We eat slowly. Perhaps I can salvage some food from the orchards, if I'm lucky. I have to be careful, though. If anyone gets caught, we get whipped. After we finish, Amanda helps me clear the dishes from the table. Amanda, Declan and I grab our schoolbooks and start off down the road to school.

As per usual, classes are short but boring. The Capitol prefers that we work in the orchards. Most of the older kids work during the morning, then we switch shifts.

After classes we race to the orchards. Today is Friday—pay day. I grab a basket and immediately climb the first tree I can find. Declan follows my lead while Amanda grabs a wagon and trails me. While my job is to collect the fruit, Amanda gathers all the fallen goods and the full baskets handed down to her. I jump from tree to tree with ease and agility, gathering oranges, apples, dragonfruit and starfruit. I carefully hand each basket to a child on the ground—any spilled fruit gets you a punishment.

I leap through the trees, singing to myself, a song that my mother taught me.

_Leaping through the leaves,_

_Climbing through the vines,_

_Collecting from morning to night,_

_This is the harvest time._

I hum to myself as I harvest and collect the bugs off of the fruits. Eventually, it starts to get dark. I find Declan and Amanda and we walk back to our apartment. Mother has prepared a small bit of groosling and our seeded crescent rolls that are unique to District 11.

I take a leg and share it with Basil. There is hardly enough to go around, and when we finish, our stomachs are still as empty as ever. I lead Basil and Amanda off to bed. We change into simple nightgowns, and we do our nightly routine: I sit on the bed and brush each sister's hair in turn. First Basil, then Amanda. Eventually Mother comes in with Gabe, Xaviar and Declan, and we are all crowded into the girl's bedroom.

"Rue, will you lead the nighttime song?" Mother asks, putting away the hairbrush.

"Sure," I reply. I begin to sing, and everyone joins in, even little Gabriel, who barely knows how to speak.

_Now is the time to rest your head,_

_And close your sleepy eyes._

_Tomorrow you will wake up_

_To the dawn of a new day._

_Mockingbirds will sing their song,_

_Flying through the orchards,_

_Where the fruits of my labor_

_Grow free._

We finish the song, and Mother stands up with Gabe asleep in her arms. "Good night Rue, Amanda, Basil. Get plenty of rest," she says, kissing each of us in turn. She leads the boys off to bed.

"Good night," Basil and Amanda call. I tuck them into their bunk and climb up into the loft bed. I curl up, thinking about how I will teach Declan and Amanda to smuggle food from the orchards, because I will soon go into the 13 and up group. I turned twelve 5 months ago.

I am eligible for the Hunger Games.

And the Reaping is tomorrow.


	2. The Reapings

**AN: Hello! Arcticmist's SYTO story has closed, so sorry about that, but I'm going on an updating spree this weekend so yay more chapters! Also feel free to go check out Arcticmist's story anyways, because it is fantastic! :D :D :D OKAY HERE UPDATES AND CRAP BYE!**

**24 hours later**

I only manage to sleep in until 7:00 today, but my siblings are still snoring when I climb out of bed. I walk into the living room, where Mother is asleep on the couch, her hand resting inside Gabriel's crib. I tiptoe into the kitchen and look outside. The sun has just finished rising and the sky is orange. I'm not sure what to do with myself, so I go back into the bedroom to find Maryanna and Basil awake.

"Let's go watch the reapings,"Maryanna declares, and she pulls Basil into the living room, where I can hear the television on already. I don't like to watch the reapings, but Maryanna has a particular fondness for the different escorts.

I wake up Declan and Xaviar and help Mother make the breakfast. We bring in bowls of oatmeal and toast just as the second reaping rolls around. They call out a girl's name, but it's drowned out as a tall, strong and brown-haired girl runs up to the stage shrieking "I VOLUNTEER!" Her name is Clove. Her district partner runs up to volunteer so quickly that the escort barely has time to say the name. His name is Cato, and he looks like a killer. We watch the Districts 3, 4 and 5 reapings before Mother says "Alright, time to get ready." She looks very somber.

I help Basil and Maryanna get dressed and they run out to continue to watch the reapings. I am about to pull out my old brown pullover when Mother walks in. Her eyes are tired, but she holds out a sleeveless baby-blue dress with a white sash.

"This was my first reaping outfit, and now it's yours. Treat it well, little Rue," she says quietly, laying it out on my bed with a blue hair bow.

"Thanks," I reply. She leaves, and I put it on. It is soft, with a ruffle near the bottom, and falls to my knees. I tie my hair back with the bow and put on a pair of worn sandals.

It's a fight in the bathroom as everyone is trying to brush their teeth and do their hair at the same time in a tiny 5-foot by 4-foot area, excluding the toilet and sink. Somehow, we all make it outside.

"Wow, Rue, you look gorgeous," Maryanna says, staring at me.

"Thanks. You look pretty to, Maryanna "I say, tickling her. She giggles.

We walk quickly to a large courtyard in the middle of the small living commons. There is a stage set up in the corner. There are two chairs, a few cameras and a podium on it, along with the table holding up the two deadly glass balls. Our mayor and our escort come up onstage. Our escort is a short man with spiked up, electric blue hair. He seems extraordinarily happy on such a grim day. I hug each of my siblings and Mother.

"G—g—goodbye, Rue," Xaviar stutters.

"No, Xaviar," I reprimand sternly. "Not goodbye. Not—not yet. I will see you soon, no matter what."

I stand up and squeeze into the throng of anxious 12 year olds. I find my friend Shaunna and we grasp hands, no words big enough to wrap around such a momentous event.

Our mayor begins reading the customary speech and my eyes drift over the crowd. _There is no chance of me being picked, _I think. I only put in six tesserae, plus my slip. That isn't much, considering some people like Shaunna's older brother have to put in tesserae for the 8 people in her family, and he is sixteen. I won't get picked. I can't get picked. I—

"And now it is time to choose!" the blue-haired man announces. "Ladies first as always"

I grasp Shaunna's hand tighter, needing support. I think I might fall over.

The glass ball is spinning—spinning—spinning—

"And our lucky lady is—Rue Dahlia!" he yells, his voice unnaturally loud in the silent stadium.

Shaunna gasps. She turns to me, squeezes my hand one last time and says, choking back a sob, "Good luck, Rue." I release my grip and push through to the stage, biting my lower lip, willing myself not to cry. Not now, when thousands of people are watching. The blue haired man—his name, I learned, is Electrode—shakes my hand, then the mayor shakes my hand, then motions to the chairs. \ sit in one and risk a glance at my family. The silence is deafening. Tears are rolling down Mother and Amanda's cheeks; Declan is infuriated; Xaviar is frightened; and little Gabriel and Basil look thoroughly confused.

I barely listen as the boy is called. His name is Thresh Kafua, and he appears from the 15-year olds section. 

Thresh makes his way to the stage. After the shaking of hands, I get a better look at him. I have seen him in the orchards before. He is tall, muscular, and strong, like my father. There was no way I could beat a boy like him! I stare, and then he sits down, and I turn away. Questions begin to flood my mind. Who will take care of my brothers and sisters? What will happen to my mother? And one of the most haunting:

What will become of me?


	3. On the Train

**HELLO! I'm on an updating spree because I am bored. Dum de dum de dummmmm. HERE.**

The Peacekeepers shepherd us into the Justice Building after they play the anthem. I haven't caught a glimpse of our mentor yet. I'm sent into the richest room I've ever seen. Our whole apartment could fit inside it. I'm in awe. I look, admiring the soft carpet and velvety chairs. I kick off my shoes and wiggle my toes in the plush carpet. It calms me as I try to hold myself for the next hour.

The next hour. That will be it, and then I'll be sent off to die. I chew on this thought as my mother and siblings enter the room.

Xaviar races in first and throws himself at me, sobbing. I'm engulfed by my siblings, who all gather around me like sheep. I manage to pull away for a moment to hug my mother. She sits in one of the armchairs as I gather my siblings around me.

"Declan and Amanda," I say, turning to them first," You have to watch over your brothers and sisters. Don't get into too much trouble. If you can, find Shaunna and get her to teach you"—I drop my voice to a whisper—"How to smuggle food out of the orchards." I straighten up and turn to Xaviar and Basil. "Take care of yourselves. Don't give Mummy too much trouble, okay?" I say, hugging them in turn. We sit in silence, tears coursing down Xaviar, Basil and Amanda's cheeks. Eventually, they are called to leave. Mother stands up, hugs me one last time, and tells me, "Stay strong. I know you can make it. "

"You have to come back," Maryanna cries, latching onto my leg. "You have to!" I try to calm her down, but the Peacekeepers run in first and take her out. She screams, and there's nothing I can do as she's pulled out of the hallway. I run to the door, but another Peacekeeper grabs my arm roughly. I shriek, but nobody helps me. I sit back down and start crying, my cheeks burning with hatred, when Shaunna comes in.

"Hi, Rue," she says quietly. Her eyes are red, and it's clear that she's been crying.

"I wanted you to take this, for your district token," she says, pulling something out of her pocket. It's a roughly carved wooden star, on a grass-woven necklace. We used to make these all the time when we were little. "It's the first one you ever made me. " Her eyes glitter with tears and she presses into my hand.

"Really try to stay alive, Rue. Please. Not just for me, but for your siblings. They need you."

She knows I could never make it—I'm too thin and weak. My only true strength is that I'm fast.

"I won't let them catch me." I smile at her through my tears. Then the Peacekeepers come and take her and leave me sitting and feeling miserable.

I am walked out with Thresh, who doesn't look fazed at all. I dry my tears as we are walked to a car. A car! I've never seen a car, much less ridden in one. The drive to the station is remarkably short, especially for one who walks everywhere, and I am distracted as the images outside the window blow past as fast as the wind.

The station is crowded with television crews and cameras. I try to appear brave and defiant, but my hands are shaking. I think Thresh feels badly for me, because he shoulders away the people trying to talk to me, to catch a glimpse of me on their cameras. We manage to get on the train, which speeds of so quickly it takes away my breath. I press my nose to the window and watch the images go by even faster than they did in the car.

The train is fancy—even more so than the Justice Building, which is a little worn down. I feel out of place as we are shown to our own private quarters. A whole room to myself—with my own bathroom! I feel terrible, knowing that at home, my family is sitting down to a tiny lunch in a tiny house where nobody will fill their tiny stomachs, and here I am being treated to such grandeur. I walk into the bathroom and find hot and cold water. We don't have hot water unless your boil it yourself.

Our escort—his name is Xenith—tells me I can take anything I want and that supper is in an hour. The drawers are filled with clothing, many more and much nicer than I own at home. I try the shower. It feels amazing, like when we work in the rain, but mixed with all the hottest parts of a summer's day.

I put on a blouse and a brown jumper similar to the one I have at home. I look closer at the necklace Shaunna gave me—it's a wooden star, cut hurriedly, with the words _For Rue Love Shaunna_ carved on the back. My eyes water again, but then Xenith calls me again for dinner and I calm myself, tying on the necklace.

Thresh comes out and follows us to the dining car. The table is richly decorated with foods we could only dream of back in District 11. I sit and fill my plate, trying to remember my manners and try anything I can reach. Our mentors are sitting with us too. Their names are Chaff and Seeder. Chaff is missing a hand that he lost in the 45th Hunger Games. There is very little conversation as we eat, and soon we go to another compartment to watch the reapings.

None of them really stand out. I watch mine, and the wind is whistling in the silence when they ask for volunteers. The next one is the one that really catches my eye. A girl is called, and she steps forwards, but another much older girl volunteers. Her name is Katniss. She looks like a good ally.

Could she be my ally?


End file.
